BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Hoosier men's golf team is just weeks away from hosting the annual Northern Intercollegiate at the Indiana University Golf Course. The event will be held on September 28-29, and will feature 15 other teams from around the region, including nine Big Ten teams.

Among the notables in the field are the defending NCAA Champions Minnesota and Illinois, which placed 18th at nationals.

The Northern Intercollegiate is the Big Ten Championships fall preview. It allows Big Ten teams to compete on the golf course that the spring championships will be held on. This will be the first home event the Hoosiers have hosted since the women's team hosted the Big Ten Championships in 1996. The men have not hosted a tournament at home since the 1993 Big Ten Championships.

Indiana will host the 2003 Big Ten Championships May 2-4, 2003.

"Hosting these two tournaments is nothing but a benefit to this team," said Indiana head coach Mike Mayer. "It's always an advantage to play your own course and the Northern field is going to be packed with Big Ten teams, including the defending National Champions Minnesota. We feel that this golf course is going to be a challenge for all the teams and I can't wait to host these tournaments."

A new challenge on the golf course will be ready to face by late-September as well. IU is currently reconstructing all of its sand bunkers to prepare the course for championship-caliber tournaments. Check back with IUHOOSIERS.com on Tuesday as we take an in-depth look at the bunker construction process.

As for the Northern, the 54-hole tournament is slated for a shotgun start on Saturday for 8:00 a.m. and 36 holes of play, and the final round on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. with tee times.